ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. spring — the season
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. spring — of water
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spell — letters
  7. pit — a hole
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pit — in a race
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spell — a short time
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — magic
  24. pound — for dogs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com